NBA insider says Hornets have 'strange conglomerate' of players after offseason frenzy

The Charlotte Hornets have been busy this offseason, but they've constructed a bit of an interesting spread of players. They have quite a few guards, even fewer wings, and even fewer big men. They have three players on the roster right now that exceed 6'7", and they have a plethora of ball-handlers. It has ESPN analyst Zach Lowe befuddled.

Lowe said that while ownership has done well on the fringes to get extra picks, it has resulted in a weird roster. "I'd just like to talk about the Charlotte Hornets, who have like 14 guys under guaranteed contracts... You look at this team and it's like, what a strange conglomerate of players," he said.

The analyst predicted that LaMelo Ball, Brandon Miller, and Miles Bridges would start, but he's otherwise lost. "Who's the wing between LaMelo and Brandon Miller, or next to Brandon Miller? Could be Collin Sexton... could be Josh Green... could be Tre Mann... could be Kon Knueppel... could be Josh Okogie... no clue who it's going to be. Pat Connaughton's on the team, by the way... Liam McNeeley. Whatever."

He then speculated about the Hornets' center department, which has been depleted by trades. He said earlier in the clip that Moussa Diabate might end up being the starting center. "If you're LaMelo Ball... who am I throwing lobs to next year? Who am I passing to, Diabate, Mason Plumlee?" he asked.

Lowe said he thinks the Hornets really like Ryan Kalkbrenner, who could be the starting center. "How does [Tidjane] Salaun fit into this? How does McNeeley fit into this? How does Grant Williams fit into this? Are we going to play super small ball with all those guys on the court?" Lowe asked. "I just, it's a strange team."

There is an easy way to answer Lowe's questions: it doesn't matter this year. The Hornets don't need to be good this season. They will not keep all of the contracts on the books, so some players (like Okogie) might get waived. Others (like Connaughton) could get traded.

But even if Charlotte does keep the current setup with a billion guards and half a center on the roster, it's just fine. They don't need to have the perfect roster construction right now, because they're rebuilding and acquiring assets. Until they're ready to compete for a playoff spot and maybe a title, they don't have to have a firm starting five with developed, contributing players at every single spot.

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